The present invention relates generally to software tools for wireless networks, and more particularly to data manipulation and visualization tools with accompanying apparatus for planning, simulating, operating, and maintaining a cellsite in a wireless network.
The evolution of wireless communication technology has created a reliance on cellular phones, and more recently, personal communication systems (PCS) that allow a user to make a telephone call or check his E-mail from virtually anywhere in the world. Such a system generally consists of a network of cells, that is, a geographical service area covered by a single antenna or group of antennas. The antennas for one or more cells are located at a cellsite.
With the growing demand for more powerful and xe2x80x9cuser-friendlyxe2x80x9d wireless communication devices, service providers are constantly upgrading their systems to maintain market share. Such upgrading transition may include adding antennas and other resources to their system to accommodate more users and provide better service coverage for subscribers. When adding antennas to an existing cellsite or while planning a new cellsite, service providers often run into problems.
One problem is the time and resources necessary to plan and operate a cellsite. Radio frequency (RF) components (e.g., RF propagation) define the area of coverage for one or more cells. For example, an urban service provider may use one or more cells to provide wireless communication services to subscribers for a ten-block radius. To provide this service coverage, service providers typically position one or more antennas at the highest point of the cellsite (e.g., using a cellsite tower) to facilitate RF coverage for a large geographical area (e.g., a ten-block radius). The antenna then connects to an RF transmitter and receiver to carry voice or data signals between the cell and subscriber. Some service providers use omni-directional antennas which provide 360 degrees of RF coverage for the cell while others may use directional antennas that provide RF coverage only for a sector of the cell. A sector is a geographical area, having a distinct size and shape, covered by a single antenna. For example, a service provider may user three antennas to provide 360 degrees of RF coverage for a cell with each antenna providing 120 degrees of coverage. Antenna selection usually depends on the carrier interface used by the service provider (e.g., time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), and global system for mobile (GSM)). The carrier interface typically determines the number of voice or data channels supported by the cell.
Service providers often have difficulty planning and troubleshooting RF coverage for one or more sectors in a reasonable period of time. Typically, this difficultly stems from using trial and error techniques to plan cell operation and troubleshoot cellsite problems. For example, service providers often dispatch technicians to a cellsite to manually adjust an antenna, and then test RF coverage to see if the manual adjustments corrected a detected RF coverage problem. If the RF coverage is not satisfactory, the technician must keep manually adjusting and testing the antenna until the RF coverage is within a desired tolerance. This manner of setting and testing the desired RF coverage is very time consuming and often costly to service providers. In addition, inclement weather or other factors may thwart repeated attempts to manually adjust the antenna, causing delay in rendering the cellsite operational at the desired level of performance.
Another problem experienced by service providers is the inability to account for possible topographical or architectural obstructions when measuring RF coverage for one or more sectors. More detailed views of RF coverage in a variety of planes are necessary to plan and troubleshoot around these obstructions. For example, if an RF signal is obstructed by a tall building in an urban area, many current systems cannot determine the location and size of the obstruction relative to the placement of the transmitting antenna. By obtaining this information, antennas can be strategically placed or adjusted in order to minimize any xe2x80x9cdead spotsxe2x80x9d in one or more sectors. Architectural and topographical information allow a service provider to locate the obstruction and adjust one or more antennas accordingly.
Finally, service providers currently use multiple RF voice channels to support the increasing number of wireless communication subscribers in high density areas (e.g., urban locations). These areas are typically covered by several antennas arranged vertically and/or horizontally on a cellsite tower. Due to the increased voice channels, it is often difficult for service providers to view the different layers of RF propagation corresponding to each voice channel supplied by the cell. That is, when viewing the RF propagation of a sector, service providers are currently unable to determine which antennaxe2x80x94based on its height or location on the towerxe2x80x94is responsible for supplying a particular voice channel. As a result of these shortcomings, service providers are unable to plan, maintain and troubleshooting RF propagation issues in an effective and cost-efficient manner.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a wireless network planning tool that allows a service provider to effectively and efficiently plan RF coverage and troubleshoot RF propagation issues at a cellsite.
It is also desirable to provide a wireless network planning tool that accounts for topographical and architectural data when planning or adjusting RF coverage for a cellsite.
It is further desirable to provide a wireless network planning tool that allows a service provider to view the different layers of RF propagation data corresponding to each RF voice channel supplied by a cell.
Additional desires, features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following description, apparent from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention.
Systems and methods consistent with the present invention meet these desires by providing data manipulation and visualization tools with accompanying apparatus for planning, simulating, operating, and maintaining a cellsite in a wireless network.
Specifically, a data manipulation and visualization tool for simulating an operational characteristic of a cellsite comprises means for storing data corresponding to the operational characteristic of the cellsite; means for displaying the data; means for manipulating the data to simulate the operational characteristic of the cellsite; and means for viewing the simulated operation of the cellsite.
A method of data manipulation and visualization for simulating an operational characteristic of a cellsite, comprises the steps of storing data corresponding to the operational characteristic of the cellsite; displaying the data; manipulating the data to simulate the operational characteristic of the cellsite; and viewing the simulated operation of the cellsite.
Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.